It seems like every family has a picky eater. For us, the worst part is a picky eater like my brother, who changes his preferences every few months (he hated onions, now he loves them; he loved spaghetti, and now he hates it, for example). It seems like there’s no rhyme or reason to what a lot of kids don’t like, and it starts to make me think that all kids are walking around with a little Disgust from Inside Out in their brains, hoping to prevent them from being poisoned, physically and socially. But here’s the deal… broccoli won’t kill them… but there ARE ways to make sure picky eaters are branching out while still getting the nutrition they need.
When it comes to picky eating, I have a few tricks to tackle the picky madness.
Find foods your child likes, and choose foods that compliment it. Perhaps you have a peanut butter fan who hates greens. Try creating a snack for your child like Ants on a Log– celery spread with peanut butter and dotted with raisins– and let them taste the celery. If they still don’t like it, at least they’ve tried it (and can then commence licking the peanut butter off of the other pieces).
Encourage your child to help prepare the meal, and to taste along the way. With Zach, a lot of the reason he branched out to try new foods was that he loves to cook. While we cook together, I encourage him to taste the ingredients– perhaps a bell pepper or a bit of oatmeal. Even if he doesn’t like it, we make a point to at least try. Plus, when kids help in the kitchen, it helps make sure they take ownership of a dish, and sometimes that makes all the difference in getting children to taste.
Offer reward-based parenting. No, I’m not talking about “if you clean your plate, you’ll get dessert,” because that’s been proven to promote unhealthy eating habits. Instead, I suggest offering that if kids try the foods they don’t like, they can have a food they do like… within reason. Mama, I’m not asking you to make a whole secondary meal for your child to enjoy after they taste the first meal, but if they have a food they enjoy (say, apples), then when they have a bite of each food they don’t enjoy, then they can “clear the taste out of their mouth” with something tastier. Studies show that kids have to try a food multiple times before they can develop a taste for it, so even if your child has tasted and not liked a food once, it’s still beneficial to ask them to try it multiple times.
Don’t push too hard. Making a kid sit until their plate is clear, or forcing them to eat a food they really cannot stand, can be damaging to them, mentally and emotionally. It’s best to ask them to take a bite, and if they choose not to finish, it’s okay. It’s best to encourage them to try again next time and see if they enjoy it; pushing your child to eat a food they really don’t like can develop an unhealthy relationship with food, and it’s just best to gently nudge, then back off a bit.
Supplement picky eating with vitamins. If you truly have a concern about your child’s nutritional intake, and feel they’re not eating a balanced enough diet, you can talk to your doctor about getting them a vitamin or supplement routine. It’s important to always bring up vitamins with your child’s doctor just to make sure they’re not getting too much of a given nutrient, and to make sure there aren’t other concerns– a vitamin won’t help with weight gain, for example. If your child is underweight, your doctor may want to encourage a different supplement instead. However, if you are going the vitamin route, there are a lot of options out there that even picky eaters can enjoy… gone are the day of chalky chewables (though, they are still out there if your child is a fan). Now, there’s a slew of gummy vitamins that are tasty and pack a nutritional punch. We personally use Olly Kids Multivitamins in our house (no, that’s not a paid promotion– we just really like them) to fill the nutritional gaps.
Play the color game. Ask your child to help you pick out produce in varying colors, and then have a taste test! Red bell peppers, bananas, blueberries… exploring new tastes can help your child discover something they really like.
When all else fails, hide the food. No, I don’t mean literally. I mean like, hiding the food inside of other foods. I have a few recipes that work well for hiding ingredients like pumpkin in spaghetti sauce or pancakes!
By using these tips and tricks, you can get a little bit closer to getting your children used to eating new foods. What’s your best tip for getting your children to eat more variety?
